Watch Riley Green Perform ‘I Wish Grandpas Never Died’ On NBC’s ‘Today’ Show

Rising country star Riley Green returned to NBC’s Today show on Monday (Jan. 13) to perform his current Top 20…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

January 13, 2020

2:32 pm

Riley Green; Photo by Nathan Congleton / TODAY

Rising country star Riley Green returned to NBC’s Today show on Monday (Jan. 13) to perform his current Top 20 and climbing single, “I Wish Grandpas Never Died.”

Prior to his performance, the Alabama native spoke with Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager about his meteoric rise to the top, admitting it’s been a bit of a “blur.” He also opened up about listing both of his grandfathers as co-writers on “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and told the Today hosts that he wishes he would have had the opportunity to sit down and write a song with them as they were truly “one of a kind.”

Seated on a stool with just an acoustic guitar, Green delivered a captivating performance of the song and once again proved why he is one of country music’s brightest new acts.

“I wish even cars had truck beds / Every road was named Copperhead/ And coolers never run out of cold Bud Light / I wish high school home teams never lost / And backroad-drinking kids never got caught / I wish the price of gas was low and cotton was high / I wish honky-tonks didn’t have no closing time / And I wish grandpas never died,” Green sang as personal photos of him and his grandfathers flashed on the screen behind him.

Riley Green’s performance comes on the heels of his recent iHeartRadio Music Awards nomination for Best New Country Artist. Green was also recently revealed as one of Country Radio Seminar‘s New Faces of Country Music class of 2020. Fans can catch Green on the road with Jason Aldean beginning January 30.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.